Adopted daughter returned to mom

After nearly three months, a seven-year-old girl is back in the arms -- and the custody -- of her would-be adoptive mother. Emma's biological mother had difficulty raising the girl herself due to financial issues and her job as a truck driver. So, her mother turned to Elizabeth Hadaway, a 28-year-old paramedic. Hadaway was granted legal custody in 2006 and the child began making great improvements in her schoolwork, self-confidence, and emotional well-being.

Hadaway was in the process of legally adopting Emma when Wilkinson County Superior Court Judge John Lee Parrott, about to sign the adoption request, happened to notice that Hadaway was living with her partner of seven years who turned out to be a woman. Instead of granting the adoption, he ordered the girl be taken away and, eventually, placed in foster care. Because, I guess, the foster care system doesn't have enough already. In fact, the system is so short of suitable kids that we need to take well-adjusted, thriving children from the parents that love them and care for them and put them in the system to meet some quota. I guess.

In April, another judge granted Hadaway custody once again, after hearing from a County Department of Family and Child Services expert who studied Emma in the foster home and concluded that she "was unable to get the individualized attention she needs in her foster home and was experiencing emotional trauma because of the separation from Hadaway." Well, duh. So judge Parrott did the only thing a rational person would do. He found Hadaway and her lawyer in contempt of court and sentenced them both to jail time and a fine.

At this point, Emma is back with Hadaway and the ACLU is fighting the contempt charge. "Emma and I missed each other so much while we were separated, and I hope she can put this painful experience behind her quickly. But I'm grateful to DFCS for recognizing that Emma's biological mother always had her best interests at heart in wanting her to live with me," said Hadaway. "Emma and I are just so glad she's finally home."

I hate it when a judge thinks sex is more important than the well-being of a child. That's what happened here. He was about to grant the adoption of a child that was doing extremely well when he happened to notice a little detail about the mother's sex life. He got all hot and bothered about that and tore the kid away from her home to put her in foster care. I'm sorry, but that's just plain stupid. Yes, I have a lot of contempt for Parrott's court. Luckily, saner minds prevailed and Emma is back home.

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)

Foster care should be the last resort. That Judge is an idiot. I am glad the girl is back with her mom(s). I imagine any "trauma" the judge thought she would experience with lesbian parents isn't ANYTHING compared to the trauma she experienced in foster care. I wonder if that judge has any kids of his own. Couldn't he imagine what it would do to one of his kids if she were forced to go live with strangers (and not know if she'd ever get to see her dad again) for no apparent reason? Sheesh.

Foster care should be the last resort. That Judge is an idiot. I am glad the girl is back with her mom(s). I imagine any "trauma" the judge thought she would experience with lesbian parents isn't ANYTHING compared to the trauma she experienced in foster care. I wonder if that judge has any kids of his own. Couldn't he imagine what it would do to one of his kids if she were forced to go live with strangers (and not know if she'd ever get to see her dad again) for no apparent reason? Sheesh.

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